Virat Kohli set the ball rolling for new RCB captain Rajat Patidar, saying the right-handed batter will lead the franchise for a long time.
Virat Kohli set the ball rolling for new Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar, saying the right-handed batter will lead the franchise for a long time in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 season, Rajat Patidar was named as RCB’s new captain, and it needs to be seen whether he can lead the franchise to a maiden IPL title win.
Virat Kohli calls Rajat Patidar “amazing talent.”(RCB-X)
Speaking at the RCB Unbox Event on Monday, Virat Kohli described Rajat Patidar as an “amazing talent” with a “great head on his shoulder.”
The former RCB captain also asked the RCB supporters to show their love for Rajat Patidar and support him throughout the tournament. Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, everyone expected Kohli to take over the captaincy reigns after the franchise let go of Faf du Plessis.
However, RCB stunned everyone after naming Rajat Patidar as their newest captain.
While introducing Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli said, “The guy who is going to come next, is a guy who will lead you guys for a long time. So give him all the love you can.”
“He is an amazing talent. He is a great player, we all know that, but he has got a great head on his shoulders, and he will do a great job for this amazing franchise and take the team forward. He has got everything that’s required,” he added.
Before making his way to the stage, Virat Kohli received a loud reception from the jam-packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium crowd in Bengaluru. When he was speaking, the crowd couldn’t stop cheering. The host, Danish Sait, had to ask the supporters to let Virat Kohli speak.
When he got his chance to speak, Rajat Patidar said that he has watched Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle for RCB. Hence, he’s ecstatic about leading one of the biggest teams in franchise cricket.
“Legends like Virat bhai, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle have played for RCB. I grew up watching them. From the start, I have loved the franchise a lot. I am happier that I got a new role to lead one of the biggest teams in T20 cricket,” said Patidar.
What does Virat Kohli make of the squad?
In the mega auction, RCB acquired the likes of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood. Hence, it is no surprise that Virat Kohli is optimistic about RCB’s chances this season.
“It’s an amazing squad this time around. We’ve got some really exciting players. A lot of talent in the team. So, I’m personally very excited to get going and help the team.
And I try to do my best as I have for so many years. And as I said, I absolutely love being here,” said Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli has been with RCB since the inception of the IPL. This will be his 18th season with the franchise.
“It’s amazing to be back in this beautiful city, again in front of such amazing fans. Excitement and happiness as like every other season. I’ve been here for 18 years and I absolutely love it,” said Kohli.
RCB will begin their IPL 2025 campaign on Saturday, March 22, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
